Availability Check Configuration

Availability check is carried out in different transactions like Sales order creation, delivery
creation, Purchase order creation, goods issue and also in production order. The point to be noted
here is everywhere the availability check is carried out using two basic elements.

1. Checking rule

2. Checking group

Now let us understand these two important elements.

Checking Rule

Checking rule is transaction based, i.e. In STD SAP system, if you are creating the sales order,
then it is A, if delivery then it is B, if you are creating/releasing production order, then it is PP.
This is almost fixed. What is the use of this as a single element it does not have any meaning, but
with checking group.

Checking group

Checking group is the one what you assign in material master at plant level, i.e. for different
plant and for the same material or for same plant different material there can be a different
checking group. This is assigned in material master in MRP3 view, as a signal element it may
not have much meaning except that it may be used for checking at which level - group level or
individual level and quantities confirmed in the availability check are to be locked or not.

Combination of Checking rule and checking group will define the scope of check

In scope of check you will be defining all control parameters in t-code OVZ9

Checking group you have defined in MMR as 01 and system is checking with checking rule A as
it is a sales order you have created

Hence the system takes the said combination

Checking rules are predefined in SAP.

Checking Rule A for Sale Order and B for Delivery is pre defined in SAP and based on the
availability check what you maintain in material master, checking rule will react in sale order.

'A' refers to Sales Order and Availability check Rule determined in '01'.

IMG - SD - Basic Funtions - Availability Check and Transfer of Requirements - Availability Check - Select
the required Option for Rule Based Availablity Check or Others
Types of Availability Check in Sales and Distribution

ProcessingThere are three types of availability check:

_ Check on the basis of the ATP quantities
_ Check against product allocation
_ Check against planning
 
The following SD-specific control features need to be maintained in Customizing:

_ Checking group

The checking group controls whether the system is to create individual or collective

requirements in sales and shipping processing. In addition, a material block for the

availability check with transfer of requirements can be set here. The checking group can

also be used to deactivate the availability check. This option was created especially for

the assembly order so that when the bill of material is exploded in the assembly order,

the individual components, if necessary, can be classified as non-critical parts as far as

procurement is concerned.

The checking group specifies in combination with the checking rule the scope of the

availability check. It is proposed in the material master record on the basis of the material

type and the plant, and copied into the sales and distribution documents.  It is specified in MMR
in MRP3 screen, availability check tab.

_ Checking Rule

You use the checking rule to control the scope of the availability check for each

transaction in sales and distribution. You also specify whether the check should be

carried out including or excluding replenishment lead time. The individual checking rules

define by transaction, which kinds of stocks and inward – outward movement(receipts and
issues) of goods should

be taken into account for the availability check.

_ Schedule line category

You can control with the schedule line category whether an availability check and

transfer of requirements should be carried out in the sales documents. The possible

settings for this at schedule line level are dependent on the settings in the requirements

class which is determined from the requirements type of the material.

_ Delivery item category

The delivery item category can be used to control whether an availability check takes

place in deliveries.

Requirements type

The various requirements are identified by their requirements type. The requirements

type refers to the requirements class and its control features. it is assigned to requirement class.

_ Requirements Class

The requirements class contains all control features for planning such as relevance for

planning, requirements planning strategy and requirements consumption strategy. In

addition, it is specified at a global level whether an availability check is to take place for

the material in the sales and distribution documents on the basis of the ATP quantity

(ATP = available to promise) and whether requirements are to be passed on. A finer

degree of control can be obtained for sales documents using the schedule line category.

 Replenishment lead time is only included in the check performed on the basis of the
ATP quantity.
 Prerequisites

An availability check can only be carried out if the following prerequisites have been fulfilled:

_ The control elements described above for the availability check must be maintained in

Customizing for Sales and the relevant assignments made to the sales transactions

_ The availability check must be switched on at requirements class level and – for theavailability
check in the sales documents – at schedule line category level
A requirements type must exist by which the requirements class can be found

_ A plant must be defined. It can either be proposed from the customer or material master

record or can be entered manually in the document._ A checking group must be defined in the
material master record on the Sales/plant data

screen in the Availability check field  

Configuring entries of the Availability CheckIMGàSDàBasic fncsàAvailability check and
TORàAvailability checkàAvailability check with ATP logic or against planningàDefine
checking groups

You can use SAP std checking groups of 01 for summarized reqts or 02 for daily reqts or u can
create ur own.

The columns total sales and total deliveries are selection options whereby u can configure a
checking rule to sum up reqts to post to MRP either individually or by day or week.

Column 5, Block qty; set this block if u want several users to be able to process the material
simultaneously in different transactions without blocking each other. The No Check indicator is
used when u want a material to not be relevant for an ATP check.

Defining a material block for other users. The Block checkbox is an indicator that enables u to
block the particular material from being checked for availability if it is already being checked at
the same time by another user.Defining the default value for checking groups. However
should no entry exist for the checking group in the material master record, one can set a default
value per material type and plant.
Controlling the availability check. In this section, u tell the system what stock on hand and
what inward and outward movements of stock it must take into account when performing the
availability check. These settings are based on the checking group that is assigned to the material
master record and the checking rule that is predefined and assigned to the sd transaction. The
carry out control for the availability check must be maintained for both the sales order and
delivery.
 

TOR

IMG à SD à Basic fncs à Availability check and TOR à TOR

A line item in the sales order creates a schedule line. The schedule lines in the sales order
transfer the requirements through to MRP. You can select the docs on which you want the TOR
to happen. For ex, not for quotations.

The TOR aims to ensure the ordered materials are available for the requested delivery date. The
TOR can be set for individual or for collective requirements (materials masteràsales/plant view).
  The TOR is dependent on the following data:

The reqts type, reqts class, checking group and schedule line category.

The reqts type and class are determined in the strategy group (material masteràMRP3)

 For TOR to be carried out, a few criteria need to be met:

Plant assigned to line item level, schedule line category should be switched on at TOR, TOR
must be switched on at the reqts class level, checking group must be defined and allocated to the
material master record (sales/plant view in the availability check field)  
The reqts class is the controlling factor for the availability check and the TOR for all sd types. 
Configuring the TOR:

1)      Use std 041 reqts class or copy and rename it. Use the indicators to select if this reqts
class must carry out an availability check and/or a TOR.

2)      Define the reqts types. A reqts type is allocated to a single reqts class and not vice
versa. It is based on the item category and the MRP type of the material.

3)      Assign the rqts type to the relevant item category in the sales order and the MRP type
found on the material master record.

You can select an alternative search strategy where u assign the reqts type to item category
and MRP type. Can select source as 0, 1 or 2. (1 = Item type and MRP type strategy).

4)      The TOR and Availability check can be selected/de-selected at the schedule line
category level.

5)      Block qty confirmation in delivery blocks. This is used to block the reservation of the
TOR from MRP.

6)      Maintain requirements for TOR. Requirements can be used to determine that the
TOR to MRP is not carried out unless a number of conditions are met. 
Availability Overview = CO09 à order qty, sd doc no, item no, requirements class.

Stock requirements list = MD04 à sd no or dly no, line item, schedule line placing the
demand

Stock overview = MMBE à total stock per company, then plant followed by storage
location, and finally a breakdown per batch.

1. The checking group + checking rule determine how the availability check is to be performed.

2. The checking group determines whether and how the system checks the stock availability and
generates requirements for material planning. The checking group defines what type of
requirements will be passed on i.e. summarized requirements (daily/weekly) or individual
requirements for each sales order.

3. The checking rule applies to how the availability check is to be carried out at the transaction
level. Note that you must define checking rules for each individual application such as for
production orders for example. In Sales and Distribution, the checking rule is specified internally
within the system and cannot be changed.

4. The checking rule, in conjunction with the checking group, determines the scope of the
availability check for every business operation; that is, which stocks, receipts and issues are to be
included in the availability check and whether the check is to be carried out with or without the
replenishment lead time.

5. Briefly explaining the above – checking group determines which type of requirement to be
passed on to MRP whether it be individual or summarized and checking rule which is at the
transaction level and can be configured independently for each application module, determines
which stocks, receipts and issues to be taken into account. For performing an availability check
checking group has to work in conjunction with checking rule.

6. Advantages of individual processing over summarized processing – 

Backorder processing is possible.
You can access (MD04) order, line and schedule line individually which gives a greater control
on available stock and requirements placed on stock.
The system automatically uses individual requirements in case of special stock items.

7. Required data for the Availability check to be carried out –

The Availability check must be switched on at the requirement class level.
The Availability check must be set at the schedule line level.
A requirements type must exist by which the requirements class can be found.
A plant must be defined in the sales order for each schedule line item (in other words plant must
be defined for every material in MMR).
A checking group must be defined in the material master record in the MRP3 screen in the
availability check field.

8. Configuring Availability check and defining Checking Groups –

Checking groups are introduced into the sales order based on the setting in the material master
record.
SAP standard checking groups are 01 – summarized requirements and 02 – individual
requirements or you can create your own by copying the standard ones.
Total sales and total deliveries columns are there to configure a checking rule to sum up
requirements to post to MRP either individually or by day or week.
Block quantity required can be set if you want several users to be able to process the material
simultaneously in different transactions without blocking each other.
The no check indicator is CHECKED when you DO NOT want the system to carry out ATP
check.
9. Defining material block for other users – the block check box is an indicator that enables you
to block material master records of a particular material during the availability check and restrict
other users from accessing same master record and reserve the material. If the block is not set,
two users can confirm the same material at the same time for two different orders, not knowing if
the stock is available or not. If you select this field, the material is blocked during the availability
check and other users cannot: a) Make changes in the material master record. b) Create purchase
orders for the material. C) Create orders for the material.

10. Defining default values for checking groups - Checking groups are introduced into the sales
order based on the setting in the material master record.
However if there is no entry present in the material master record for the checking group, a
default value can be set here, depending on material type and plant.
This default value will be used by the system depending on the material type mentioned in MMR
and plant in sales order.
If an entry exists, this default value is over written by MMR.

11. Controlling Availability Check – in this section, you tell the system what stock on hand and
what inward and outward movements of stock it must take into account when performing the
availability check in addition to whether or not to consider the replenishment lead time.

12. These settings are based on the checking group that is assigned to the material master record
and the checking rule that is predefined and assigned to the sales and distribution transaction.

13. These settings carry out control both for sales order and delivery as well. This is due to the
fact that you may want to include specific stock or incoming stock for the sales order, yet at the
time of the delivery only include physical stock on hand waiting to be shipped.

14. It is possible to indicate to the system that you would like the availability check NOT TO
CHECK the stock at the storage location level. This indicator is used to set the scope of the
availability check. 

15. It is used to switch off the check at storage location level. You create a reservation for a
particular storage location. However, the scope of the availability check is set in such a way as to
exclude the storage location. In this case, the system carries out the check at plant level only and
does not take the storage location into account that is specified in the reservation.

16. Should you not want the system to automatically check RLT, you may indicate so here. RLT
is the time taken for a material to become available. It is only used when doing an ATP check
and is taken from MMR.

17. Defining the elements in the availability check entirely depends on the business needs, but a
few tips are given under – 
When controlling the Availability check at the time of the sales order, a purchase requisition
does not necessarily indicate by it is going to come into the plant.
A shipping notification on the other hand - a confirmed purchase order – is a good indicator of
receiving stock on a specified date.
It is always recommended not to select the shipping notifications for the delivery requirements
type as you may not actually receive the stock into plant or warehouse for which you are creating
a delivery.